“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”- Albert Schweitzer - Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Project Stakeholder Roles

From the Project Pre-Check perspective, project stakeholders are the influencers and decision makers. Project stakeholders are the people who make or break a change. They are managers who have the organizational authority and ability to:

allocate resources (people, money, services)

set priorities for their own organizations in support of a change

influence the behaviour of those who must change to support a successful implementation

With the exception of the change agent, project stakeholders are in the role because of the position they fill in the organizational hierarchy.

Project Pre-Check covers project stakeholder involvement from the inception of the change process through to the realization of planned benefits. It provides controls and practices that project stakeholders can leverage to form and guide the change to the intended conclusion or to change direction or even cancel the initiative in time to avoid undue damage if conditions warrant.

A major change will typically have from five to ten project stakeholders: one or two sponsors, one or two in the change agent role, three or more in the target role and one or more in the champion role. The actual number depends on the decision makers that need to be involved for the project to be a success. What’s important is that the roles are understood and filled from the inception of the change through to project completion so there is at least one person whose primary role is sponsor, change agent, target and champion.

Also remember that staff departures, arrivals, reassignments and reorganizations can have a significant impact on the formation, makeup and effectiveness of the project stakeholder group. A properly formed and supported project stakeholder group is the paramount project success factor.